Dungy: Gators 'now the hunted'

Retired NFL coach Tony Dungy said the Florida Gators have a good chance of capturing another NCAA championship but "the problem they are going to have is they are now the hunted."

By HARRIET DANIELSSpecial to the Guardian

Retired NFL coach Tony Dungy said the Florida Gators have a good chance of capturing another NCAA championship but "the problem they are going to have is they are now the hunted."They are going to get everyone's best shot, going to have every team thinking if they can just beat UF that will make their season, he said last Thursday before a visit with coach Urban Meyer and the Gators.Dungy said he has admired what the Gators do from a distance and scouted UF teams in the past. He said their meeting last Thursday was a chance to talk to the team about developing off the field."They are going to be a championship team on the field, but really talk about character, being a teammate, being a citizen and looking to their futures," he said.Dungy, who coached the Indianapolis Colts to the 2007 Super Bowl victory, was in Gainesville last Thursday to meet with the Gators and to promote All Pro Dad, which he helped start in 1997 under Family First, a not-for-profit organization helping strengthen family bonds.His first stop in Gainesville was at the Department of Transportation complex off NE 39th Avenue, where he met with the office staff from the commercial driver licenses testing site, which raised $1,863 for the All Pro Dad program in June, the most per capita raised by office statewide.Wearing a signature Gator blue shirt, Dungy spent about 30 minutes talking to the office staff and employees from other branches, thanking them for their efforts and signing books. He then headed over for the meeting with Meyer and the Gator football team. Both events were closed to the public.Dungy and Gainesville native Nathan Whitaker have authored the best sellers "Quiet Strength" and "Uncommon." Dungy also wrote "You Can Do It" for children.Harriet Daniels is a Gainesville Sun staff writer.